LEWIS BATTLES TO ELEVATE THE POLITICS OF AIDS

The Insite Safe-Injection Site

TORONTO--Stephen Lewis was the superstar of the 16th International
AIDS Conference, held August 13 to 18 in Toronto. He was everywhere,
delivering dunning indictments of South Africa's guilt over paltry
HIV treatment, shaming our prime minister for choosing the Arctic
over the 25,000 or so delegates, appearing with celebrities like Bill
Clinton and Bill and Melinda Gates, and calling for safety from
violence for women and children, a commitment to circumcision for
African men, and meaningful debt reduction and development assistance
from western countries. When the conference finally wrapped,
Lewis--the UN's special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa until the end of
the year--sat down with the Georgia Straight for a Sunday-afternoon
tea in the tony Forest Hill neighbourhood north of downtown.

GS: I wanted to ask you about Insite. You made your thoughts fairly
clear at the closing conference. What do you think will happen?

SL: I don't know. I don't know. I have this fascinating exchange of
letters with the International Narcotics Control Board, which I want
to release in the next little while because I think people will be
surprised. I want to release them before September 11, when the
[site's] exemption runs out. I went to Vancouver - this is actually very funny.

I went to Vancouver and spoke at the Harm Reduction Conference,
calling for support for safe-injection facilities. I spoke of my
visit to Insite, surrounding alleyways, health centres.

And two days later, I get a call from the chief executive officer of
the International Control Board in Vienna. I mean, I'd heard of this
shadowy organization from [Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network executive
director] Joanne Csete, but I didn't know much about it. And he calls
me and he says, "Mr. Lewis. You're quoted in support of safe-injections sites."

And I said, "Yes."

He said, "Well, surely you didn't say that."

And I said, "Actually, I certainly did say that."

"Don't you know they're opium dens?"

I said, "Wait a minute. Just calm yourself."

He said, "You didn't say it in your UN capacity?"

I said, "Yes, I certainly did. I was invited as the UN envoy to speak
at this conference. I was explicitly in my UN capacity."

He said, "Well, we're going to have to take this up with the
secretary-general."

I said, "Be my guest. But please don't think I'm going to succumb to
a threat. This is ridiculous. I firmly believe in what I've seen and
learned and know. And Insite has been evaluated all over the place.
It's absolutely first-rate. And I really think it should spread."

'Oh, Mr. Lewis. I'm going to take this up with the board first thing
Monday morning."

I remember those words. Anyway, I heard nothing more. And then
suddenly leaked to me was a letter they had subsequently sent to Kofi
[Annan, the UN Secretary-General]. I don't know whether he'd ever
replied. I didn't see any reply. They'd sent the letter and it was
quite an irritating letter, saying "This is what your envoy said."
Eventually, he used the words opium den in the letter again. They
simply assume that these drug users are all criminals. It's the
criminal-versus-the-public-health view of drug use. I was stunned.
Anyway, I've written a reply.

GS: We had opium dens, until the '20s

SL: Yes, I realize that. But we are passed that, I think. Anyway,
obviously what's irritating them is that they felt they were reaching
the Canadian government and encouraging them to close it down.
Therefore they didn't want any public stuff that would argue
opposite. Now, obviously I'm in this situation an irrelevant voice
because injecting-drug use is not a major phenomenon in
Africa--although it is growing. And I'm delighted to see the number
of activist groups, Julio Montaner [clinical director for the B.C.
Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS] and others, who are really
entering this debate. And Joanne Csete, who's a tremendous voice on
this, principled and absolutely unparalleled, she's so single-minded
about this. I mean, it makes a difference. And I think all the
activists will make a real difference. And if [PM Stephen] Harper
keeps it open, it will because of the pressure he's felt. So I think
it's just crazy to contemplate closing it down for a second.
Everything about it is so humane, civilized, and appropriate. You
know that they're going to do safe injection, needle exchange, and
all this kind of stuff. So I think it will be damn near criminal--no
, not damn near criminal, it will be criminal--if they close it down.
It's like inviting HIV infection.